Corrugated panel structure



Dec. 31, 1940.

v. wlLLouGHBY 2,226,682

CORRUGATED PANEL STRUCTURE Y Filed May 7, 195sY INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dee. 31", 1940 UNITED STATES CORRUGATED PANEL STRUCTURE Victor Willoughby, Ridgewood, N. J., assignor to American Car 4and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 7, 1938, Serial'No. 206,645

Claims.

This invention relates to corrugated panel structures in general and in particular to corrugated panels intended for use on railway cars. Panels intended for use on railway cars must of necessity be made as light as possible in order to hold down the dead weight of the car but must at the same time be as rigid as possible in order to withstand shocks incident to coupling and emergency brake applications. The panels of railway cars and vehicles whether on the sides or ends thereof are subjected to heavy bulging forces and accordingly must be reinforced to hold their position in the car structure and to eiciently transfer the strains of the main load or stress carrying elements of the car.

In the past certain side wall panels have been reinforced to resistbulging strains and act more or less as shock absorbers to take up impacts due to shifting lading but in all these structures no provision was made to carry the stresses properly from the reinforced panel to the edge flange and the remainder of the car structure. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide an improved corrugated panel in which the stresses will be eiiiciently transferred from the panel to the main stress carrying members of the vehicle to which the panel is applied.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a corrugated panel having stiffening anges formed at right angles to the body portion of the panel and which anges are maintained in such right angular relation by bracing corrugations.

A yet further object of the invention is the provision of apanel having a substantially right angular flange formed on the edge thereof, which ange is maintained in such substantially right angular relation by means of buttressing corrugations pressed in the body of the panel and flange.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view through a car showing substantially one-half of the improved panel when applied as an end to the car structure;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of substantially one-half the improved panel;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the panel shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and showing in detail the buttressing corrugations.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the panel has `been illustrated as pressed and designed for application to the car structure as an end wall but it is obvious that the panel is of equal value as a side panel where the flanges thereof'would be attached directly to eachv ',f other or in any position where it is desirable and necessary to maintain the proper angular relation between the panel and its side liange. 'Ihe panel in the present instance is formed of a single sheet of metal having the main portion 2 thereof '10 located substantially in a single plane with at least its side edges bent over to provide anges 4 substantially at right angles to the main portion of the panel and also with stiffening and attaching flanges 6 at other edges, such as adjacent the 15 top for applicationv of roof sheets. The upper and lower edges of the main portion and the side flanges are provided with punched openings 8 through which rivets orother securing means may be inserted in order that the panel may be attached to the car structure. In the present instance the anges 4 are shown as attached by rivets l0 to Z bar end posts l2 with the side sheets I4 interposed therebetween. As is customary in most carsthe side posts have secured thereto by any suitable means a side wall lining IS, while the end panel is covered by an end lining wall I8. The main portion of the panel may be pressed or otherwise formed with a plurality of corrugations the contour of which is immaterial. In the present instance the main corrugations 20 are of generally truncated triangular form having side portions 22 extending outwardly at an angle to the main portion of the panel and directed toward each other to be joined by a top portion 24 35 which is substantially parallel to the main portion of the panel 'adjacent vthe center thereof. The ends of the main corrugations merge into the panel in areas as at 26 adjacent the side anges and this is accomplished by constantly decreasing 40 the width of the top portion toward the ends of the main corrugations while at the same time deiiecting the top portion inward toward the panel, thus forming a substantially truncated triangular portion 28 at the ends of the top portion. These 45 sloping truncated triangular portions are joined to the main panel along their edges by means of triangular shaped portions 30 having their apices in the panel adjacent the ends of the corrugation and their bases coincident with the sloping por- I tions 22 previously-'referred to. It is, of course, obvious Athat the tapering ofthe corrugations may be started at any desired point along their length, such as at the center or substantially at the ends thereof but in the present instance they have been shown as starting at a point located inwardly from the ends approximately one-quarter the length of the corrugation.

With the panel provided only with the main corrugations, it is obvious that any forces applied to the panel will tend to bulge the same and such bulging action Will result in a deflection of the ilange causing the substantially right angular relation between the flange and panel to be destroyed. In order to overcome this tendency and to properly transfer the strains from the corrugations to the flange, one or more buttressing corrugations 4U are located intermediate the main corrugations. These buttressing corrugations may be of any desired cross-section but in the present instances are shown as substantially semicircular in cross-section and have their inner ends 42 merging into the panel inward of the side flanges at a distance greater than the distance between the ends of the main corrugations and the side flanges; that is, ineffect, the main and buttressing corrugations overlap each other. The buttressing corrugations increase in width constantly from their point of ,mergence with the panel to their 'point of mergence 44 with the side ilanges, Vthus providing,fin effect, what might be termed a truncated semi-circular conical buttressing corrugation. which will act in tension to transfer bulging strains caused by the lading in the car from the panel to the flanges and car posts. It is thus seen (Fig. 4) that each buttressing corrugation irmly ties the main panel and side flange together to maintain the substantially right angular relation therebetween and that at least the lower portion of the buttressing corrugation is in eilect a continuation of the sloping portion 2S of the main corrugation, being substantially parallel thereto. In `other words the ridge or outermost part of the buttressing corrugations and the ridge or outermost-part of the adjacent end portion of the main corrugation are located substantially in a common plane or substantially in parallel planes as is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4. It is, of course, obvious that the depth of the buttressing corrugations at the side flanges will be made as great as possible permitting clearance with the car structure and in order that it may be located inwardly as far as possible with respect to the bend 46 (Figs. l and 4) made during turning of the side ilange. l

While the main corrugations have been shown as disposed outwardly of the panel with the sloping end portions substantially parallell with elements of the buttressing corrugations, it is obvious that various other positions and arrangements oi the main and buttressing corrugations may be made, such as pressing the mainrcorrugations inward of the panel with the buttressing corrugations remaining substantially as shown. The above indicated modication, as well as others, and various rearrangements of the corrugations will be apparent to persons skillediin the art and all such modifications and rearrangements are contemplated as fall within the scope of the following claims. Y

adjacent said flanges, auxiliary corrugations pressed in the said panel and flanges, said auxiliary corrugations extending across the corner between the panel and flanges and merging into the panel at points removed from the flanges and having the ridges thereof substantially parallel to the ridges of the adjacent end portions of the main corrugations and acting in tension to transfer the bulging strains to the car sides and frame members.

2. In combination with frame members of a railway car, car sides attached to the frame members, a metal plate pressed to provide an end having a panel portion and laterally directed side flanges, said flanges being secured to the said car sides and frame members to complete the car end, main corrugations pressed in the panel to stiifen the same against bulging strains, said corrugations being pressed outwardly from the panel and having their ends merging into the panel adjacent the flanges, auxiliary corrugations pressed in said panel and flanges, said auxiliary corrugations being pressed inwardly from the panel and extending across the corner between the panel and flanges to join the same whereby thev bulging strains will be resisted and transferred to the car sides and frame members.

3. In combination with frame members of a railway carcar sidesattached to the frame members, a metal plate pressed to provide an end n having a panel portion and laterally directed side anges, said flanges being secured to the said car sides and frame members to complete the car end, main corrugations pressed in the panel to stillen the same against bulging strains, said corrugations being of truncated triangular cross-section and pressed outwardly from the panel with their ends merging into the panel adjacent the flanges, and auxiliary corrugations pressed in said panel and flanges, said auxiliary corrugations being of arcuate cross-section and pressed inwardly from the panel and extending `across the corners between the panel and flanges and merging into the panel at'points removed from the ilanges whereby the bulging strains will be more eiliciently transferredfrom the main corrugations to the car sides and framemembers.

4. A strengthened metallic `plate member comprising a metal panel, flanges formed in the side edges of the panel, main corrugations pressed in the panel having tapered, ends with the ridges thereof merging into the panel adjacent said ilanges, and auxiliarycorrugations pressed in the panel and in the. flanges to stillen the latter against deformation' and having the ridges therethereof located in a vertical plane substantially parallel with said first named plane.A

46. A strengthened metallic plate memberV com prising, a metal panel, laterally directed flanges extending along the side edges ofthe panel, main corrugations pressed` outwardly from the side of Cil the panel oppositeto.theuilangea and auxiliary corrugations pressed outwardly from the side of the panel adjacent the flanges, said auxiliary corrugations merging into the flanges to brace the same.

7. A strengthened metallic plate member comprising, a metal panel, flanges directed laterally outward from one side of the panel, main corrugations pressed outwardly from the opposite side of the panel and having the ends thereof terminating in the panel adjacent said flanges, and auxiliary corrugations pressed outwardly from said first named side of the panel and merging at their outer ends into said flanges to brace the same.

8. A strengthened metallic plate member comprising, a metal panel, flanges directed laterally outward from one side of the panel, main corrugations pressed outwardly from the opposite side of the panel and having. the ends thereof terminating in the panel adjacent said flanges, and auxiliary corrugations pressed outwardly from said first named side of the panel and merging at their outer ends into said anges to brace the same,

said auxiliary corrugations being interposed intermediate the main corrugations to additionally stiffen the panel area therebetween.

9. A strengthened metallic plate member com prising,- a metal panel, anges directed laterally outward from one side of the panel, main corrugations pressed outwardly from the opposite side of the panel and having the ends thereof terminating in the panel adjacent said flanges, and auxiliary corrugations pressed outwardly. from said first named side of the panel and merging at their outer ends into said anges to brace the same, said auxiliary corrugations being interposed intermediate the maincorrugations and having their inner ends merging into the panel.

10. A strengthened metallic plate member comprising, a metal panel, a flange directed laterally outward from one side of the panel, main corrugations pressed outwardly from the opposite side of the panel, and auxiliary corrugations pressed in the panel, said auxiliary corrugations being pressed outwardly from thepanel on same side as the iiange and extending across the corner between the flange and' panel to prevent distorting movement therebetween.

VICTOR WILLOUGHBY. 

